20+ Nitric Oxide Foods: Natural NO Boosters

In a nutshell, nitric oxide (NO) is a vasodilator, or a molecule that relaxes the arteries and blood vessels in your body, providing you with better blood flow. Why would you want increased blood flow? One of the key reasons in to transfer vitamins and nutrients, such as protein, throughout your body quicker in order to speed up their effects.

Instead of using NO boosting supplements, these top 20+ nitric oxide foods will help you increase your body’s production of NO naturally. The list starts with meats then continues into vegetables, fruits, nuts/grains, and lastly the sweet stuff, like honey and chocolate.

1. Salmon

Wild caught salmon is a great source of co-enzyme Q10, a popular enzyme used in moisturizer products for women.

But the Q10 enzyme isn’t only useful for smoothing out your wrinkles, it’s also a great natural nitric oxide booster. Many studies have shown that it helps increase your body’s production of NO significantly.

2. Animal Meats (Specifically Organs)

This might not be suited for everyone, but animal organs contain high amounts of cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins. These nutrients are also responsible for boosting your testosterone levels.

But how do animal meats and organs help with my NO deficiency? Similar to salmon, they’re loaded with co-enzyme 10, a natural booster of NO.

3. Shrimp

L-what? L-Arginine is an amino acid and a precursor of NO. In essence, the more of it that you eat, the more of it your body will convert to NO.

4. Spinach

Popeye knew what he was doing by loading up on spinach all the time. It’s one of the highest nitrate containing plants, meaning the more of it you add to your diet, the more NO your body will produce.

5. Beets

This is another edible plant with a high amount of nitrate per serving.

They’re also a manly vegetable. If you’re looking to keep your estrogen levels down, you’re in luck, because that’s exactly what beets will do for you by acting as a methylator.

6. Garlic

Garlic is a veggie that’s been studied by researchers for a long time. It’s known to be a great activator for NOS (nitric oxide synthase) and can be used as a natural alternative to Viagra or Cialis.

One study noted that garlic was responsible for decreasing systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 8 points on patients with high blood pressure. That’s a super potent natural blood pressure reducer and outranks even some manufactured medications.

7. Kale

Remember the co-enzyme 10 that we mentioned earlier? Well, if you’re vegan or just don’t want to eat meat for any reason, kale is a great veggie source of the same NO boosting enzyme.

Additionally, kale is known to increase testosterone levels, imrpove arterial health, and contains a ton of other health benefits.

8. Onions

Onions are yet another natural testosterone booster as well as NO booster, as shown in a couple of studies done on the vegetable. They increase NO thanks to a compound they contain called quercetin.

They’re also a great source of vitamin C, which has the built-in feature of protecting your nitric oxide molecule from free radicals.

9. Watermelon

Getting tired of vegetables? Let’s start off the fruits with some fresh juicy watermelon packed with the amino acid L-Citrulline.

L-Citrulline is one of the best natural nutrients used in increasing NO.

10. Oranges

The citrusy favorite of fruits, oranges, have a ton of vitamin C. And what’s vitamin C good for? It’s a great way to protect the NO molecules in your body from free radicals.

Without consuming vitamin C to protect your precious nutrients, you’d have to consume more and more nitric oxide foods because NO molecules would deteriorate naturally. Prevent this from happening by adding more vitamin C to your diet, like oranges.

11. Pomegranate

Pomegranates are one of the best nitric oxide foods that you can consume. It’s also a great testosterone booster as well.

They have performed well in every study on the topic, showing to increase testosterone levels by 22% and reduce the thickness of arterial plaque by 30%.

12. Cranberries

These little guys are known to pack countless health benefits already.

But one of the lesser known health values in cranberries is their ability to increase the production of NO and to lower high blood pressure. Best of all, it does both at the same time.

13. Walnuts

This vitamin E rich nut helps your arteries and testosterone levels.

In addition, a recent study has found that walnuts are also beneficial in natural NO production. This is most likely due to the high amount of L-Arginine found in these nuts.

14. Pistachios

Like walnuts, pistachios are rich in L-Arginine, and by now you already know what that’s good for producing!

15. Brown rice

This slow carb releasing behemoth also adds in a lesser known benefit: significant NO boosting properties.

Brown rice has also been found to significantly improve blood by relaxing muscle walls. Get that newly produced NO pumping through your veins!

16. Cayenne Pepper

You’ll find me putting this in almost all my food to make it spicy! And that’s thanks to its high amount of capsaicin.

Capsaicin has also been reported to help relax arteries and increase NO production in the body. Time to stock up on Sriracha sauce!

17. Black Tea

However, studies have shown that it still produces a few vasodilating effects (widens blood vessels to increase blood flow). Other studies have also claimed it has been responsible for reducing arterial stiffness and helping product more nitric oxide.

Overall, it’s a hit and miss, but if you’re a heavy black tea drinker, you can probably continue drinking it for the added benefits.

18. Honey

How about some natural sweetener for your tea? Honey!

Honey contains a high amount of enzymes and nitrates that have been shown to increase NO production naturally.

19. Ginseng

Or perhaps, spice up your tea with some ginseng?

Ginseng contains compounds known as ginesonides, which are similar to androgens, like testosterone. Many studies have shown ginseng to increase testosterone levels, improve blood circulation and sleep quality, increase blood flow, and lastly aid in the production of nitric acid.

Note, these benefits were found in Korean red ginseng, not the Siberian or American alternatives.

20. Peanut butter

Nuts are a high source of L-Arginine, and guess what peanut butter is made of? Peanuts!

Increase your NO levels naturally by eating more peanut butter, preferably organic. If you’re already a PB fanatic, this should be no problem for you.

21. Dark Chocolate

I save the best for last: dark chocolate! This one’s my favorite of all the nitric oxide foods because, well, who doesn’t like chocolate?

Cocoa, especially raw cocoa, has been shown to both increase NO production and lower blood pressure in many studies already.

Some studies even note cocoa to help repair your endolethium, the thin layer of cells that line the inside of blood vessels.